Owstonia

Smith-Vaniz, William F. & Johnson, David, 2016, Hidden diversity in deep-water bandfishes: review of Owstonia with descriptions of twenty-one new species (Teleostei: Cepolidae: Owstoniinae), Zootaxa 4187 (1), pp. 1-103 : 99

Owstonia sp. 4.

Material examined. MNHN 2014– 1838, 67 mm SL, Madagascar, 14°49'53"S, 46°59'9"E, trawled in 347–448 m, R/ V Miriky sta. 3248, 7 Jul. 2009.

Description. Lateral line originates at posttemporal sensory canal near anterodorsal margin of gill opening, curves upward and backward then continues posteriorly just below dorsal-fin base. Dorsal fin III, 20; anal fin I, 13; pectoral fin 21/21; gill rakers 11 + 22; vertebrae 11 + 17; anal-fin pterygiophores anterior to 1st haemal spine 2. Too many scales are missing to count oblique body scale rows in mid-lateral series or cheek scale rows (but the latter with at least 4 rows). Preopercle without spines. Papillae in slight depression behind tip of premaxillary ascending processes 4, arranged in 2 almost equally spaced pairs. Teeth in outer row of each premaxilla 12/12; no inner teeth anteriorly. Teeth in outer row of each dentary 9; 5/4 spike-like symphyseal teeth, and 1 small inner tooth anteriorly. Dorsal fin with prominent dark spot between spine 3 to soft ray 5 on proximal 2/3 of fin, and premaxillary stripe faded but evident. Tip of pelvic fin broken off, but depressed fin extends at least to anal-fin origin.

Comparisons. The above combination of characters excludes all six western Indian Ocean species that we recognize. Characters of the Madagascar specimen agree best with small specimens of Owstonia crassa (confirmed records only from New Caledonia and Solomon Is.), but a Madagascar locality argues against that identification. In this specimen the dark dorsal-fin spot begins between spine 3 and soft ray 1 (vs. beginning between rays 1-2 in the smaller paratypes (54‒86 mm SL) of O. crassa . It also has four fewer gill rakers 11 + 22 (vs. 13 + 24) than does a similar size specimen (77.6 mm SL) of O. crassa from New Caledonia .